Ven. Thích Trừng Sỹ
Feelings of Parents’ Holidays in Buddhism
As we know, Western culture refers to two Mother’s and Father’s separate holidays. Every year, the second Sunday of May is Mother’s holiday and the third Sunday of June is Father’s holiday.
According to Buddhist culture, Vu Lan’s ceremonial Day is Father’s and Mother’s holidays. When our parents are still alive in the world, we pray for them more virtuous merit and longevity. When our parents pass away, we pray for them to be born up to a peaceful realm and ourselves try our best to cultivate, maintain the Three Jewels, practice, and apply the Buddhadharma in everyday life to benefit ourselves and other people right here and right now in the present life.
Moreover, as practitioners understanding the Buddhadharma clearly, we know that every day is also Mother’s Day and every day is also Father’s Day. Relying on the Eastern and Western cultures, when Father’s or Mother’s holidays come, we immediately remember the grateful merit of parents’ birth, nurturing, and education deeply.
As we know Mother and Father are those who give birth to us raise us up, take care of us, and want us to become talented, virtuous, useful, and helpful people for families, schools, and for societies by practicing right view, right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right recognition, illumination, and right concentration.
Thanks to the grateful merit of the nurture and teachings of our parents, we grow up in life. The merit of parents is exemplified as the very high sky, solid like a green mountain, and wide like the sea. It is very happy for those who still have fathers and mothers live in the world. It is very unfortunate for those who have no fathers and mothers live in the world. It is also unfortunate for those who still have fathers and mothers who do not know and do not understand the grateful merit of birth and nurture of their fathers and mothers.
Today, on the occasion of Mother’s and Father’s holidays. As filial children, we are conscious that when our parents are still alive in the world, let us cherish the rest of our parents’ lives, then right today, we are beautiful fresh roses, sweet ripe fruits to offer our parents lovely smiles, wholesome actions, and loving speech to our parents.
If we live far away from our parents, by modern means of today, we should take advantage of the phone call to ask about our parents’ health right away. When our parents hear about healthy wishes to our parents, they immediately become happy and well.
If our parents no longer live in the world, by practicing and applying the Buddhadharma in our daily lives to benefit the many right in the present life, we wholeheartedly pray for our parents to be born in a peaceful realm. When we understand and practice like this regularly, our parents and we are all joyful and happy.
Namo Lord Gentle Compassionate Mother Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva
Namo Lord Gentle Compassionate Father Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva
May you all be instilled into the Dharma in your daily life.
By Thích Trừng Sỹ
